Mumsnet and McDonalds

[tattychicken]

DH popped into a Mcdonalds yesterday to (ahem) use the facilities. Did his usual trick of taking his iPhone with him, and later let me know that when he was connecting to the Internet, the free wifi for McDonalds users popped up 'in conjunction with Mumsnet'!!! The blurb on mumsnet still says they don't allow advertising from mcdonalds, but when we googled it, it turns out this ban was lifted last May, and 'Mumsnet is proud to be associated with the family friendly restaurant'. .

WTF? You might be, MNHQ, but I'm not.

agree re costa. Vile and coffee is awful although those raspberry and almond slices are worth a pound of anyone's money

Hello folks. Sorry to be a bit late to this thread but yes, it's true we're working with McDonald's on Family Friendly Wi-Fi. You can read all about our Family Friendly Wi-Fi programme here.

As for us deciding to take advertising from McDonald's, there were several threads discussing this beforehand - here and here, for example. And then Justine posted about our decision here.

We have updated our About us page to reflect all this but the About us page on the app is still, unfortunately, displaying our old copy about not taking ads from McDonald's. This will be sorted when we release the new version of our Talk app - in a few weeks' time.

Navock it's still processed, refined, and full of un-pronouncable ingredients so for ME it's not a healthy option, but the problem is that people recognise that of McDs but don't recognise the processed refined crapness in other foods they are choosing over mcDs which they think are healthier. Most people who have mcDs have it in moderation, but eat other processed unhealthy crap all the time, its not the McDs making them fat, it's the hidden "healthy" "diet" options

most people who go for barriatric surgery are not lazy people going for the easy option, barriatric surgery is not easy and most of them have REALLY tried and tried to be healthy first, the problem is that there is a fundamental missunderstanding of what healthy food means in our society

its starts in preschool (heck it starts at weaning if you follow certain plans ) with "healthy snack" time - it never seems to include any protein. All fat is bad, just eat fruit! and all the kids products with tonnes of sugar free sweetners, its all wrong

are you happy with the 'proud to be supporting a family-friendly restaurant' line? when it seems to me your supporting family friendly wifi?

You said a bank holiday therefore a lot less traffic in central london.

Naismiths rule of walking is 3miles an hour and that's for countryside paths with no pace to get somewhere. walking 3.5 to 4 miles in an hour should be fine but id agree crossing roads would be a problem if there was a lot of traffic which would normally also have buses amongst it when it's to heavy to not be able to cross.

LtEve it's not just about Wi-Fi,you've obviously missed the nice wholesome A-Z McD pop ups with lovely applique patchwork writing showing us all how McDs is pretty much the healthiest option when feeding our kids.

but it's not any less healthy than any of the other high street food options, 95% of them anyway

Those wholesome hessian adverts are infuriating, and also funny in equal measure. They are a perfect example of Goebbels' (I think Goebbels?) dictum, "If you are going to tell a lie make it a big one." Using imagery to position themselves squarely on the territory of their critics, like a dog pissing on a bed its been forbidden to lie on.

That really is terrible, Helen, that the app is still displaying the pre-purged version of MN's ethic.

You need to get Winston Smith to work for you, shredding any copy that relates to outdated principles.

yep, the healthy message is ridiculous, i think. speaking as someone who had The Worst Salad In The World at McD's.

People who need surgery got themselves that way through poor habits over many years. Even if they became injured and unable to walk they still put every mouthful of extra energy into their mouth day after day, year upon year

McD's uses 100% beef and chicken. Just because you cannot pronounce an ingredient does not make it unhealthy nor is refining a product the devils work. When you make chicken soup do you not crunch up all the bones to fit the carcass into the pot and then liquidize it all up once cooked. I do and it's perfectly home made home grown chicken soup. But becuase i crunch it up by hand and liquidizer maybe i should call it hand and mechanical separated chicken.

Jaimie Oliver is lovely looking and and curvier than ever these days.

If you don't like these products you do not need to buy them or eat them. As i wrote earlier, THEY are the parent it's THEIR responsibility. But if you would prefer only root veggies and nothing processed I hear NORTH KOREA is always looking for some resourceful people. You could perhaps offer a house swap with one of their residents and for a while although I suggest you maybe ensure it's of fixed term or you may find the Korean does not want to return. :)

Lol that the superseded copy re boycotting McD shows precisely on the versions of the site that you can use to browse MN in McD toilets. If anyone dragged their desktop into a cubicle they wouldn't face the same ethical dissonance.

I agree, AIBU.

A Happy Meal/KFC followed by a McFlurry which lets face it are what people order for their dc not a token fruit bag(if you want a piece of fruit you don't go to McDs) is a whole lot less healthy than a slice of thin marguerita pizza, a tuna/ham/egg sandwich and chopped carrot etc,etc,etc.The latter don't come with bribe toys,salt,addictive fat,shiny packaging etc,etc

This isn't about the people caught short coming home from somewhere who normally eat a balanced diet it's about the people who are foolish enough to think nice wholesome fonts,flowery language and Olympic partnership equals a healthy,easy food choice to be given to ones kids on a regular basis.These are the same people who would be taken in by smoking is cool advertising.

Pretending these people don't exist is bonkers,they do and our obesity levels show this.It's a whole package and limiting advertising would help,if it didn't I don't get what would be lost.

err, that's exactly what a lot of packaged sandwiches/high street chain sandwiches and high street pizzas contain okay maybe without the toy, and maybe with a "healthy" looking brown cardboard sandwich container.. but still loads of crap in them

Do I have the only child in the world who requests the fruit bag then?

we get one fruit bag, one fries. they always struggle to eat a whole fries by themselves.

"McD uses 1005 beef and chicken" I rest my case.

Go feed your dc a Happy Meal every day then.

It's what they do with said beef,chicken,serve it with and temp you to buy after that is the problem. My 100% chicken curry is filling,contains 2 or 3 veg portions,hasn't been fried several times,doesn't come with fries,doesn't come with a flacid white bun and luminous cheese and doesn't brandish in your face pictures of a McFlurry to follow after(which you'd need as a Happy Meal would barely fill a mouse up).

Whenever MDonalds is mentioned it always brings out the food snobs.

yawn

Monkey plenty don't.I don't call w/m bread,tuna and maya crap.Look around all sandwiches aren't the same.One can always take ones own sandwiches.

well no, mrsheffley makes a good point. 100% beef or chicken doesn't refer to the meal, it refers to one little teeny bit of the meal.

You bought the toy. You paid extra for it. Mcflurry is milk. do yoy often give a large tub of Ben and Jerrys to one child? If no then don't give the MCflurry. YOU are the parent. If you do not add salt to your tuna ham egg sandwich I imagine it taste quiet bland.

When I make my own mayo which takes about 5 minutes do you know what. Shock horror........I'm EMULSIFYING egg yolk vinegar lemon juice and oil

Advertising is about selling. Everyone knows it's It's not subliminal it's out in the open. You decide if you want it or not. You have a choice.

@AitchTwoOhOneTwo

are you happy with the 'proud to be supporting a family-friendly restaurant' line? when it seems to me your supporting family friendly wifi?

Where did you see this, Aitch?

I think there are very few people who don't understand that eating lots of junk food every day isn't good for you. In the same way that everyone knows that smoking is bad for your health, or drinking too much. People know perfectly well but they still do it. There is nothing wrong with McDonalds or other fast food in moderation.

If not liking a huge number of kids eating too much junk food makes me a food snob so be it.